How do I create a culture of curiosity?

All students are born curious. Curiosity is one of the primary ways humans learn how the world works. Over time, however, students’ experiences shape how safe it feels to express that curiosity, especially in front of others.

By the time students reach upper elementary or middle school, curiosity may no longer show up as raised hands, questions during discussion, or visible excitement. A student who is quiet, skeptical, or disengaged on the surface may still be deeply curious, but unsure whether that curiosity is welcome, valued, or worth the risk of sharing.

In KnowAtom classrooms, the goal is not to assume curiosity will always look the same, or that all students will display it openly. The goal is to create conditions where curiosity feels safe to use, where it is rewarded through sensemaking rather than performance, and where students learn that wondering, revising, and uncertainty are legitimate parts of doing science.

This article focuses on how curiosity is nurtured inside real KnowAtom lessons and how teachers can support it through the way they pause, listen, and respond to student thinking in everyday classroom moments.

What curiosity looks like when it feels safe

When curiosity is nurtured, it does not always announce itself. It often shows up quietly and gradually.

You might notice curiosity when students:

Spend extra time looking back at a model or data table
Ask a question to a partner rather than the whole class
Change an idea between one day’s work and the next
Say “I’m not sure” without shutting down

These are signs that students are thinking, even if they are not performing curiosity in visible ways. Over time, when students experience curiosity as safe and worthwhile, they are more likely to share it publicly.

Curiosity begins when students are allowed to notice for themselves

The first place curiosity is either nurtured or suppressed is at the moment students encounter a phenomenon. KnowAtom lessons are intentionally designed to begin with experiences that invite noticing, but curiosity depends on how much ownership students have over what matters.

Kindergarten example: Weather in Our World

Students place thermometers on grass, sand, and blacktop.

Instead of pointing out the differences, you pause and say:

“Take a quiet look at the numbers.”
“What’s catching your attention?”

As students share different observations, you respond with:

“Tell me more about that.”
“What made that stand out to you?”

Nothing in your response signals what you noticed or what students should notice. Curiosity is nurtured because students learn that their own noticing is the starting point.

Grades 1–2 example: Animals on Earth

Students observe ants interacting with food and begin building insect models.

A student says, “The ant uses its legs.”

Rather than narrowing the focus, you ask:

“What did you notice the ant doing?”
“What are you wondering about how that helps it survive?”

Students return to the images and their own observations. Curiosity stays alive because students are not trying to guess the teacher’s thinking. They are exploring their own.

Curiosity deepens when different ideas are allowed to coexist

Curiosity grows when students realize that not everyone sees a phenomenon the same way and that this is not a problem to solve quickly.

KnowAtom’s concept mapping and dialogue phases naturally support this when teachers allow uncertainty to linger.

Grades 3–5 example: Sound Waves

Students add early ideas to a class concept map about sound.

Two students describe different explanations for what affects pitch.

Instead of deciding which is correct, you say:

“I’m hearing a couple of different ways people are thinking about this.”
“What are we still trying to figure out?”

Students begin asking one another questions. Curiosity becomes shared, not competitive.

Curiosity is sustained when questions belong to students

Curiosity fades when questions feel like checkpoints or tests. It strengthens when students experience questions as tools they can use to move their thinking forward.

KnowAtom investigations support this when teachers resist naming causes or variables too early.

Grades 6–8 example: Atoms and Molecules

Students run a reaction and compare results across groups.

Instead of pointing out differences or causes, you say:

“What are you noticing as you look across the results?”
“What are you wondering about?”

As students talk, you follow with:

“Which of those questions feels worth exploring next?”
“What would help us learn more about that?”

Students experience curiosity as something they own, not something they are being tested on.

Separating ideas from people keeps curiosity protected

Curiosity shuts down when students feel their ideas are being judged. KnowAtom lessons help avoid this by anchoring thinking in shared artifacts.

Grades 3–5 example: Magnetism and Electricity

Students compare magnetic field models.

You say:

“What does this model help us explain?”
“What questions does it raise for us?”

Ideas are treated as provisional. Students feel freer to explore and revise because no one’s thinking is on display as right or wrong.

Curiosity depends on time to revisit and revise

When curiosity is nurtured, learning is allowed to remain unfinished. KnowAtom lessons intentionally revisit ideas over multiple days.

Grades 6–8 example: Changing Environments

Students model the impact of an invasive species on a food web.

After new evidence is introduced, you ask:

“What feels different about our thinking now?”
“What are we less sure about than we were before?”

Revision is framed as reflection, not correction. Curiosity persists because students are invited to keep thinking.

What changes when curiosity is nurtured over time

When curiosity is consistently nurtured in KnowAtom classrooms:

Students take intellectual risks in ways that feel safe for them
Students listen to peers as sources of insight
Students expect their ideas to change as they learn more

Curiosity becomes a disposition students trust, not something they perform.